ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the various manners in which speakers choose to express their attitude towards the possibility that the contents of a proposition or a number of propositions constituting a discourse unit may be true in a present or future world, or could have been true in a past world given certain conditions. It also focuses on discourse which refers to hypothetical situations produced by six speakers of Spanish during conversations with the author. The speaker's assessment of these factors leads him to make a number of choices from those made available to him by two systems: a system of principles of discourse organization, and the language system. These two types of elements constitute a solid, objective starting point for pragmastylistic analysis. A complete hypothetical discourse with supportive argumentation may comprise the following elements: hypothetical macro-frame, hypothetical statement, argumentation, anchoring, qualification, disclaimer, and coda.
